The Past and Pending
by GigliwasCool
Summary: Their past is pending. What can he do when he comes back? Their past is pending. Does she know how to hide her heart anymore? Their past is pending, but can either face it? [On hiatus.]
1. Prologue: Bridge and Tunnel

_**The Past and Pending**_

_Prologue: _**Bridge and Tunnel**

The list dragged in his head as he propped his feet against the footrest underneath his seat. He thought of boy diva that wooed her first, his name rolling easily off his tongue though he thought of the Darius protégé with nothing but disdain.

He jiggled his foot against his bag as his shoelace bobbed up and down against the leather subsequently and he swapped his thoughts of the platinum rapper for the boy next door. Jude had never been good for Jamie, but he was just what she had needed. He was faithful, loyal and the last person in the world that would break her. That was what Jude thought. That was what Tommy thought. That was what Jamie thought. But just as the innocent taste of their kisses faded, so did Jamie. He never asked what happened because he didn't want to know.

The cheerful voice of the pilot crackled through the speakers, waking Tommy from his light reverie. As _Toronto _passed past the lips of the pilot, through the cabin's speaker and into Tommy's thoughts, a jolt of nerves passed through his system. The brunt of everything he had left behind was going to smack him full force once he stepped off the plane. He knew it and he deserved it. He threw a piece of gum in his mouth carelessly as his ears popped with the mounting altitude of the plane.

Of everyone he had ever expected her to be with, Vin Spiederman had never made the list. Hell, T-Bone was before Spied on the list. But nevertheless, as her seventeenth birthday rolled around, Spied was there and in the way. He had been in the way of Tommy's romantic envisions. He had been in the way of Jude seeing what could happen when the guitar would inevitably play out of tune. He had even been in the way whenever Tommy needed to use the bathroom. But Spied had met the fate of all the others and rested on top of the pile of her exes.

The small gust of air blew across his faces, chilling his wetted lips. He brought his hand from the cushioned armrest to swipe the back of his hand across them, warming them instantly. He remembered the way his stomach had clenched jealously when images of Jude and faceless boys passed in front of him. In magazines, on TV, on the Internet. They didn't love her the way she deserved and he knew it, because Tommy was the only one who knew how to lover. He was convinced.

He felt the plush leather sweep against his head as her voice pounded through his headphones.

_Temporary Insanity_

He surprised himself as he quickly skipped through all the songs he knew were for him.

_Time to Be Your 21_

He didn't need to remind himself of how much she used to love him and he groaned lightly as each title passed in front of him.

_Could Be You_

Her first album was full of the lovesick ballads of a girl who wanted merely to be loved back and Tommy had known it. He still knew it.

_That Girl _

But he hadn't known how to love her back, and if he could have loved her back. He wasn't sure now, but he wasn't going to let what could be haunt him endlessly.

_Pick Up the Pieces_

His head lolled towards the window and while his eyes fluttered closed and Montana's wilderness passed below him, and despite his confidence in their bond, Tom Quincy wondered if she would let him love her now.

* * *

Yes, I am back again with another story yay! I have the next few parts written, so click that nice little review button that's calling your name if you want to read more.

:o) Rachel


	2. Exposition Parts I and II

OhI adore all of you! You completely knocked my socks off with your reviews, I'm so glad you're so interested! I want to thank **tommys21**, **romanma32**, **Duddley111**, **VilandraofAntar**, **musical-cynders**, **Tanya50801**, **hmgirl8192**,** Judeh05**, **xTamarax **and **Tommy4eva** you guys are awesome! And since I love you so much, I'm giving away two chapters for the price of one! These two parts make up the exposition of the story and the plot and story really kick off at chapter 1. Anyway on with it!

* * *

_Exposition:. Part I_

**Blue Velvet**

The soft plush of the blanket caressed her once freezing bare legs as her eyes cracked open to see the dark velvet of the bedding play and rustle warmly against her moving arms. The persistent ringing pounded against her pillow, vibrating the soft blue fabric of the case against her face. She groaned loudly, flipping herself towards the nightstand and slamming her fist against the ringing. She missed a few times as her hand collided with wood and the man next to her stirred not so gently. "More?" He asked suggestively at her banging fist. She let out a snort and her fingers finally connected with the metallic cover, and reluctantly prying it open. "Hullo?" She called sleepily through the phone. A voice crackled across the connection, a voice that made her sit up straight and her spine tickle painfully.

She turned towards the half aware snorer at her side and held up her forefinger, motioning that she would be right back. She made her way through the dimly lit, unfamiliar house tumbling down the first step atop a windingly dangerous staircase. "Hello?" The voice said into her ear. She felt herself falling into a well of memories she had purposely forgotten to seal.

_She loved the way the word played against his lips. She loved the way his tongue rolled out the soft **g **and curled around the rolling **r**. She loved the way he grasped her hands and wrapped his fingers around her racing pulse; the steady beat hammering against his tender fingertips. She loved the way he continued to talk as she continued to watch. She loved the way he continued to smile as she continued not to listen. She loved the way his eyes lit against his scruffy face and his eyebrows danced to a small tune towards the top of his forehead while he talked. She loved the way he knew how to play her. She loved the way she let herself be played. There was nothing she loved more. _

"Hello?" He called again with less tentatively and more apprehensively. She listened to his steady breaths against the earpiece as he waited for a response. She wanted to let him wait. He had made her wait. He had made them both wait, one less willingly than the other. He had left her first, left the other and then he never came back to either. And while he stayed wherever he was, she waited. They waited. She wanted it to be his turn. And he expected it to be his turn. But it wasn't. She cleared her throat clearly enough for his to take the signal.

A gust from the heater, that was a few steps below, blew into her face as she heard him let a breath loose. "Sadie, could you tell Jude something?" He started in such a small voice that it was barely recognizable. She laughed a hoarse laugh into her end on the phone, sending it to him and hoping that it sent chills down to his toes. "Can I tell Jude _what_?" She repeated meanly. "Well, that I'm …back." Surprise. Surprise. Something guided her fingers along the phone as they made sharp contact with the end button. It could have been a force telling her to warn the world that Quincy was back. It could have been the Jude that knew that Quincy was no good for her. It could have been Sadie's instinct to keep her sister a baby and to keep her sister away from the big bad wolf. It could have been the Sadie that didn't want anyone to know that he was back. But she looked up to a tender gaze staring down and a soft hand against her fingers that cradled the phone. "Come back to bed Sades." He questioned, but all she heard was Tommy.

* * *

_Exposition:. Part II_

**Eyes Open**

Twirling a piece of newly dyed, strawberry blonde lock between her fingers, Jude Harrison spun herself lightly in her producer's chair. She couldn't help it but silently marked, to the day, how long he had left. Nearly a year. Six months of heartbreak. Too many days of walking blindly, tears hanging dangerously. One month of denial. Too many moments of convincing herself he would be back. Two months of loathing. Too many seconds full of deep seeded anger that flamed her world. Countless months of mere thoughts. Too many times she bargained for him to come back. Her career. Her music. Her Mustang. Her backup band. Her Fender. She would have traded it all to have him back. And to never have him leave again. And when she thought there was nothing left in her to give to him, she let him go. She let his lingering presence leave her.

Rocking a foot back and forth, side-to-side, right to left her thoughts drifted. They settled on the man she had resolved not to think of. She couldn't help it. The week of her eighteenth was the week she dreamed of for three years. A week of earth shattering confessions. A week of breathtaking kisses. A week with him. A week made merely of cloudy dreams. She had someone to share it with. A someone who loved her. A someone she convinced the world she loved back. A someone that shielded the heartache this week would have brought if she had been alone. A someone who, if she was being honest, could make him jealous. A someone that could make him see his mistake. A someone to make him come back. But with the date only a few days away she had let that hope slip peacefully away, keeping the anticipating songs she had written in a locked recess, as she tried to enjoy herself.

A rustle from the door woke her from the light dreams she fell into. She slid her sock-clad foot against the ground and looked to a smiling face. "Hey babe." He said easily. "Hey yourself." She said with a genuine smile. She liked him. Maybe she loved him. But maybe she didn't. She didn't care either way. He was there. Tommy wasn't.

She picked herself off the chair, balancing her hands against the arms, and sending it backwards as she walked. "E.J. wants to see you." He whispered as he ran a light finger down her nose and lovingly across her cheeks. She giggled at his tickling touch but pushed herself away with a sigh. More party plans. More guest lists. More incessant questions that Jude didn't know the answers to.

"Specifics?" She asked him lightly, holding out a hand that he grabbed willingly and pulling her back with light steps. A rush of wind from her movements gusted her hair behind her shoulders as she smiled at him fondly. "Something she needs to tell you." He replied cryptically as he planted a small kiss on her lips. "Really?" Jude questioned more to herself and resisted the small pang of expectancy she had learned to quell for a year.

* * *

Please click that loverly review button for more! Heehee, I feel like an infomercial. How sad. 


	3. Chapter 1

Oh how I love you guys! I'm so glad you like it so much, the feeback is amazing! I really want to thank **Duddley111**, **Tayna50801**, **Judeh05**, **hmgirl8192**, **awesome apirl**, **tommys21**, **romanma32**, **Tommy4eva **and **angel422**. I am so grateful to you guys, so I hope this first chapter doesn't dissapoint. And just a btw-Jude is _not _getting married. Well yet, I haven't thought that far yet lol.

**

* * *

**

Chapter 1

_Intimate Secretary_

Colin watched her blonde head bob up and down as she made her way to E.J.'s office and leaned his hands against the soundboard thoughtfully. She seemed too good to be true. Nothing as good as her had ever fallen into his lap before. Nothing as good as Jude had ever happened to him before. But as he let himself sink into a chair, he realized it was because Jude didn't know everything about him. He realized it was because there were still shadowy secrets he kept from her. But what he didn't know was the Tommy would always be Jude's biggest secret.

Jude slugged herself into E.J.'s office, expecting the tiny woman to pounce her the second she stepped foot through the door. It wouldn't have been the first time that Jude was pelted with a book full of thousands of cake designs. But as she leaned herself leisurely against the doorframe she saw E.J. pointing around the room wildly, her head facing the floor and mouth running wildly. "She is going to be in here any second. Get out. Jude leave. No do not come back later. Way would you even drop down there? Why wasn't your first instinct the _flight_ one? You are so stupid. You have your head up your own ass." Jude watched with wide-eyed humor as her publicist carried on, unaware of her presence. "Why would you have your head up anyone else's ass? Your ass is the only logical ass for you. Wait, is that why you left? So that you could get a taste of someone else's ass?" Jude stopped short at E.J.'s second slew of accusations as she felt her heart tighten inside her chest. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering to thoughts of Tommy. And she couldn't stop her heart from skipping beats in hopes for Tommy.

Jude shook her head lightly and pushed herself away from the door, stomped her sock clad foot against the ground exaggeratedly and cleared her throat audibly. She watched E.J.'s head shoot up immediately with the proverbial face of the cat that ate the canary. Muffled rustles came from under her desk that didn't go unnoticed by Jude, but were left unmentioned. "Colin told me you needed to see me?" Jude said and craning her neck upwards to see under E.J.'s desk.

E.J. sunk herself in her swiveling chair and propped her feet against Tommy's shins, hoping all the while that her Jimmy Choo's were breaking skin. He had waltzed in an hour earlier, his words telling everyone that he was looking for Darius while his wandering eyes searched for Jude. E.J. had summoned Jude, under the impression that Tommy would want to see her, but the moment he found out he had ducked under her desk to hide. He wasn't fitting very well but it was his own fault. "Oh, yeah. Sit, sit." E.J. ushered to the teenager and motioned for the chair in front of her desk. "I need to know about your…entrance." She exclaimed loudly as she searched for an excuse. "My entrance?" Jude repeated questioningly. "Yes. I need to know which song, and we need to go over which door and which staircase and"

Tommy tuned her out as she continued to ramble as he attempted to lean his body back against one of the supports underneath her desk. He heard his mind questioning who Colin was. And why would Colin be walking Jude in. And why E.J. would be asking Jude how things were going with Colin. His head spun while his stomach clenched each with dizzying jealousy.

"Oh dish. You know you want to." E.J. coaxed as she let her foot collide against Tommy's. A faint grunt sounded through the room and Jude's curiosity grew too ample to be ignored. "What is that?" She asked, wanting to know and glad to find something to change the subject. She wasn't sure how happy she was with Colin and she didn't want to go around announcing everything or anything about their relationship. "Oh, it my um…" E.J. squirmed and stuttered as she accidentally kicked Tommy in the abdomen. "My dog." She finished over Tommy's grunts of pain. "Dog?" Jude asked skeptically. "Yea." She assured and brought her hand under her desk to pet her _dog_, while she actually pulled Tommy's hair forcefully. "He peed earlier." E.J. explained awkwardly as she ducked her head to look at Tommy. "Bad dog!" She chided and waved a finger at Tommy and mouthed for him to _shut up_.

Jude shook her head humorously and leaned farther into the soft leather of the chair and let herself relax. She still held her suspicions but let her hopes that it was Tommy go and fade. She felt slightly stupid about the way she could never get over him. He had made it clear that he didn't want her. He had made it clear that he wasn't coming back. Jude felt herself blush as she shifted awkwardly waiting for E.J.'s head to pop back up. "Yea, I'll get Sadie to clean that up." E.J. laughed and waved her hand distractedly towards the ground. "But tell me girl. What is it like?" E.J. continued to pry at Jude. Her will finally broke as she sighed and thought of Colin. He was great. He was too good for her. But she wouldn't let anyone know that. "What can you expect from a gorgeous boyfriend who's always gone?" Jude asked cryptically.

Tommy felt the breath clench in his throat at the word _gorgeous _and plastered a hand against the soft carpet at the word _boyfriend_, needing to steady himself. So she really had moved on. Her tone hadn't conveyed that she was all too happy with this Colin character, but she wasn't mourning him. Tommy couldn't even suppress his disappointment. He thought of how her constant phone calls, messages and text messages had ended abruptly just as rumors of Jude and an up-and-coming actor surfaced. He had waved it off as a coincidence but now his worries were back with a vengeance.

E.J. stared back disbelievingly; she couldn't accept that Jude could be anything but happy with Colin. "Gorgeous, actor, cares about you, who happens to be here _all the time_. What could be the matter? Is he a bad kisser? Too much tongue?" E.J. nearly demanded in the face of Jude's giggles. She sighed and then thought of Colin. Really thought of Colin. The way he smiled at her. The way he grabbed her hand while they walked together. The way he kissed her. He wasn't Tommy. But no one could be.

Tommy smiled smugly to himself scoffing that anyone could that they could make Jude happy. One kiss from Tommy and everyone else is a dog. He knew it and let himself relax and let his hands out from underneath himself as he settled comfortably back on the ground. He was ready to hear all about how incompetent this guy was. Jude sighed contentedly from above; Tommy could hear her smile, as he felt unease wash over him again. "Ok, I'm lying. He's prefect." She pronounced and Tommy felt his vision slip. He clenched his fists so tightly as she dubbed the other man _perfect _that his short nails almost dug into the skin of his palm. He was going to have to fix this.

* * *

hmmm, chapter 2 is written and edited and I think I can hear that review button calling again teehee, I'm shameless. :o)


	4. Chapter 2

I'm so glad you guys like this story so much! I really want to thank **Duddley111**, **romanma32**, **Judeh05**, **Tayna50801 **and **Tommy4eva. **You guys are awesome! I really hope you like this chapter, Colin and Kwest make more of an apperance. ;o)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Black Mamba_

Jude narrowly slipped past E.J.'s incessant questions that followed the Colin interrogation while Tommy narrowly slipped past her gaze. As she scrambled to leave while E.J. was on the phone, Jude stopped lightly as a few well-gelled spikes of hair peeked sneakily past the edge of the desk. Her steps hastened as she leaned to investigate where the well-coifed hair led. But she merely toppled over as E.J. shouted for her to go before she made Jude decide on centerpieces.

She looked within Studio B as Colin flashed her a small grin while Kwest talked on. She let a small wave flutter between them as he sent her a wink before she left. Her steps slowed measurably as the doors became more visible and a heaving sigh escaped the pits of her stomach and traveled out her lips.

She decided that Tommy Quincy was tiring. Her thoughts and her heart seemed to jog on an endless loop that encircled memories of every sweep gesture that flew across her skin and any moment the two ever spent together. With each trying lap around the course a smile flashed in the distance as a soft hand caressed. She pulled herself from the molded slump of her hunched shoulders and pushed the sole of her shoe off the wall, propelling her the last two steps to the door.

The moment the sound of her footsteps quieted and the ringing of her paces dissipated from inside the office, Tommy peeked up again, brushing off the slightly painful bend in his back and wiping his clammy hands on the butt of his jeans. He fumed silently at E.J. as he leaned forward to watch her walk away. Her saunter was gone, her chin no longer jutting out against the world. She had lost the swagger and confidence he had stored in her. She seemed tired and acted as though the game had played her and she was finished fighting back. He almost felt bad coming back so unexpectedly, without word but presuming she would want him back. Assuming that she would love him back without questions. _Almost_, but not really.

Without turning to the young woman, dressed in all black and chatting away on the phone, he inhaled an indignant breath of irate hostility that pounded through his veins, shooting spurts of venom at E.J. and wherever this _Colin_ was. "You broke her Tommy. Don't expect her to come back to willingly." Tommy spun his head, wondering when E.J.'s voice had deepened and when she had learned to think of things beyond the diamond encrusted surface. His lips were poised to sound his questions when the voice rang out again. "It's me you idiot." Came a sarcastic and dry pronouncement.

He turned his head towards the direction of E.J. extended finger as his vision collided with an old friend's. "Hey man." Tommy said jovially, his anger temporarily forgotten, and marched towards Kwest hurriedly. It had been a year and Tommy had nearly forgotten that he hadn't only left Jude behind. He had left an entire life in his bitter dust. He really had come back to reclaim what was his, Jude and everything that came along with her. Except SME, he could live without them.

If surveillance had actually been a sport, Sadie would have another medal for her complied collection. She had watched Tommy waltzed in this morning, looking for Darius while he scanned each studio for someone else. Someone else that Sadie didn't want to believe was actually her sister. Part of Sadie was convinced that he hadn't missed her sister and that his eyes weren't really seeking her sister. Another part knew better. The other part wasn't so naïve but was jaded to all things Tommy Quincy.

Every part of her held its breath when Jude had plodded to E.J.'s office while Tommy scampered under the desk at E.J.'s forceful persuasion and mighty hand. She made a note to ask Darius if the G-Major staff had taken a self-defense course once in the past. She knew Georgia had a mean right-hook and Darius could kick someone's ass with his belt. She chuckled to herself sardonically as she watched Tommy fumble under the desk while Jude eyed E.J. suspiciously.

She caught Colin slipping away as Jude left, stealing a few moments with a cigarette and his thoughts outside. As her head turned back to her co-worker's spaciously commodious office, with her peripheral vision, she saw snow tinkling to the ground outside the window as a contended shudder passed through her system. Out of the blazingly scorch of summer, the knocking winds of autumn and the tumulus rains of sprig, she love the peaceful serenity of winter's immaculate snow.

She had watched the first interaction between the two best friends, seeing Kwest eye Tommy with suspicion, his eyes roving as if to make sure it was really him. She watched Tommy twitch and fumble his fingers clumsily under the sharp surveillance. Sadie watched as the barrier was nimbly broken by a single brotherly hug as the two snuck off past her desk. Eyeballing the computer and her phone simultaneously, she gave less than a moment of thought and sneakily followed them outside to the alley.

The alley that everyone knew was infamous with Tommy and Jude. They alley that could only be entered through an enormously metal door, that creaked and whined as she pushed her weight against it. The alley that was slick with pelting and already melted snow, catching her foot and stealing her balance. The alley that was surrounded by whether-worn railings, that kept her upright and planted on the soles of her new boots. The alley that had been foreign to Sadie before that afternoon.

She watched frozenly as Tommy's shit hit Colin's fan on the snowy winter day. She crept quietly and craned her neck as far as she could throw it, catching bits of seemingly hollow threats and snatches of brazen jabs.

"Oh so the infamous Quincy has made his return. How does it feel to be fall back into an old rhythm without a throne to catch your ass?" Colin called meanly at the discovery of the man who had shared a light. "There's someone to catch me, and I think her name is _your ex-girlfriend_." He spat back as he shoved both of Colin's shoulders with pointed fingers, sending the other back a few feet in the piling snow. "Jude is not going to be the one to catch you. She doesn't feel the need to uh, how do you say it? …Hold onto the past like an aging washout. If you know what I mean." He spat back dryly, pilfering a long drag from his lit cigarette.

Tommy laughed a short and dryly cut laugh before framing his face in a still moment of pent up rage. He cocked his head to one side before lunging at Colin, smashing the lit and smoldering ashes against the other's lips. A strangled cry emitted from the compacted unit of flying fist and sailing curses as Kwest immediately pounced. "I don't think you've got a place here anymore, Little Tommy." Came Colin's combative battle cry as his slung his fist square into Tommy's jaw. "It's Little Tommy _Q_." Tommy shouted before returning the favor and letting his clenched knuckles bruise Colin's cheek, narrowly missing Kwest.

"Oh shit." Sadie whispered to herself, as she stood unmoving and not knowing what to do.

* * *

uh-oh, I couldn't resist, I love guys fighting over a girl. It's the best kind of fight. This is the last of the pre-written chapters, but I promise to get my ass into gear and write some more! I think you are all feeling the need to review, am I right? Teehee, I'm sad.

:o) Rachel


	5. Chapter 3

Oh jeez, this chapter took forever. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story and I have to thank **romanma32**, **Duddley111**, **Tayna50801 **and **BikerBrat**. I hope this chapter doesn't dissapoint, Tommy and Jude interaction will come...soon. lol, but leave me feedback because really, I'm addicted :o)

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Endless Shovel_

"Mr. Quincy, do I want to know why you're back _now_, of all weeks? Or can I just guess for myself?" Liam asked, his breath ragged and uneven as he dispelled it in the confining air of his office between Tommy and Colin. Liam didn't have to ask; he didn't have to guess. He had joined the G-Major staff later in the game Tommy and Jude played, but he picked up fast. It was a spectator's sport and no one could seem to get enough of it, as the duo provided the only water-cooler talk that anyone was remotely interested in. Liam knew they thought they had hidden it well, and maybe they had hidden it perfectly out of sight from themselves, but everyone else could see. Tommy rolled his eyes and rubbed his hand against the air of his chair in irritation. "I did what I needed to do. Just back to get my job." He said shrugging simply. Colin snorted incredulously, everyone in the room knowing better than what Tommy was letting on, as he swatted at Tommy's leg with his foot.

When they had met, Jude had been lost. She had been missing Tommy, obsessively checking for him and not even realizing anyone else's advances. It had taken incredible amounts of persuading to get her to even agree to a date, but they had finally settled on. Soon the incessant Tommy watch died away and his name never grazed her lips. Colin silently wondered if more than his name had grazed her thoughts. Tommy had been a constant threat when he wasn't there, and Colin could smell a battle now that he was back.

"Want a ride back to the farm, _piggy_?" Tommy offered caustically. He couldn't see what was at all attractive about him. "Get stuffed." "I would say the same to you but-" "And I would say that I can just get Jude to stuff me." "That doesn't even make sense you perverted piece of shit." Tommy spat at him, rising to his feet raring for another round with Colin. His knuckles trickled spurts of blood while his hands urged Tommy to his him again.

"Enough!" Darius boomed from the doorway. "Sit down. Both of you." He commanded with his finger outstretched like the unwavering hand of Zeus, and a look that could send tremors through the most stolid of men. The two complied reluctantly without even a questioning glance at Darius but staring each other down. "Before I get down to business, I would really love to learn. Please, someone, enlighten me. How. The. Hell. Did. This. Happened?" He demanded menacingly, rising to his feet as he threw a shaking fist at Tommy's bruise cheek and Colin's bleeding and bruised…_face_.

Tommy looked over smugly, throwing a pompous scoff at Darius' request. "Shut it Quincy. Unless you want to explain why you're back _right now_." He threatened, knowing that Tommy hadn't thought as far as his excuse. He knew that Tommy hadn't thought past Jude. "And what are you even doing in my studio? You're an actor!" Darius yelled, his second wind kicking in as he turned wildly to Colin while Tommy scoffed.

**O-O-O**

"I don't, something didn't feel quite right." Jude tried to explain as the sharp jab of a pin lightly broke the skin on her arm. She yelped out in pain as Kat shot her a sympathetic looking, pressing a forceful thumb against the pin-prink when Jude threw her another look. "What? I'm applying pressure to the wound." She explained as she stuck the pin in her mouth, balancing in on her teeth as she opened her mouth to speak again. "Go on, _something didn't feel quite right_. What do you mean?" Jude sighed again, slouching onto one foot as she stood on a kitchen chair while Kat tailored the final touches on her dress.

Nothing had been quite right since he left. Nothing had been completely prefect since he left. Colin helped, but no matter how she morphed him in her mind, he wasn't Tommy. He wasn't the one she secretly dreamed of. He wasn't the one that her thoughts lingered around as she woke. He wasn't the one she thought of as she jumped into the scalding water of the shower, or when she hastily brushed her teeth, or when she sipped her daily cup of coffee, or when she invited the delicious smell of roasting beans at _their_ old coffee shop. It was a viciously endless loop, never forgetting a memory, never forgetting a stolen glance or a secret touch or their mind-numbing kisses.

But he wasn't the one she tried to forget as he head softly hit her pillow at night. Or the one she tried so desperately to stop from being her constant inspiration. Or the one she scrubbed herself pink for, in hopes to forget his touch. Colin wasn't Tommy. But Tommy wasn't the good guy.

She looked down at the billowing white fabric that smoothed delicately at her flurried touch. She fingered the light satin that grazed her hips and did nothing to shield from the force of the knocking wind that gusted through the house and the drop was opened. Her eyes fluttered over the softly precious layer on her skin that wrinkled at her touch and made her gaze hesitant to stray. The hemline fluttered, flipped and flounced again as the door was slammed shut against the whistling breaths from winter's icy lips.

She turned her head only slightly to see Sadie rushing through the door to escape the battering wind and threatening imminence of snow, and dropping her bag down lazily as her keys jangled noisily as they hit the hard wood of a table. She turned her gaze back to the chipping polish on her nails, her fingers scraping away more of the blindingly pink color. She made a note to herself to get her nails redone before Wednesday. She also made a note to herself to forget Tommy.

Sadie plodded for the kitchen, letting her touch graze the walls of the house. Her nails scratched the white paint, leaving a trace of her path. Sadie blew a tousled hair for in her face as she unwound the scarf from her neck and shrugged her heavy coat from her shoulders. Tommy's angry words danced through her envious thoughts as she let her winter clothing fall to the floor. Her attention was silently demanded to the corner of the kitchen where her sister stood and Kat was huddled at her feet, the seams so close to her face that a pin fell from her mouth and against Jude's leg. Sadie's gaze traveled upwards, noting her sister's annoyed glance and the softly red reminder of the pin.

She was suddenly met with the vision of her gorgeous younger sister, a pristine girl dressed in a beautiful dress, that for a party that would make her a woman. In the proverbial sense, she never wanted to pry in any other way, for fear of hearing the Tommy had _made her a woman._ Her jealous heart wouldn't handle it.

"Hey Jude." She called out. "Sexy Sadie." Jude returned lightly with a small chuckle. Her sister's laugh was infectious as she watched Kat join in, the pin falling out of her mouth again and to the ground, stringing a frustrated groan from her throat, as Sadie felt a giggle tickle her lips similarly. No, her jealous heart couldn't handle Jude being Tommy's girl, she realized as her attempts to quell the laugh were forgotten and it rang out in the kitchen.

She debated telling Jude what had happened. And who was back. And why he claimed he was back. But why every really knew he was back. Her thoughts settled evenly as she ground her teeth together firmly, her lips pressed together tightly. "Colin says _hi_." She managed.


	6. Chapter 4

Heehee, look who finally updated. Before I delve into the chapter I must thank **romanma32**, **Duddley111**, **Judeh05**, **xTamarax**, **thatgirlyoucanttrust**, **VilandraofAntar **and **Tommy4eva**. Have I mentioned that I love you guys? Because I totally do. I hope you like the new chapter, I promise for juiciness...soon. hehe

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_So Says I_

He had heard all the reasons. All the things that were wrong with him, why he was bad for her, why he couldn't find the capacity to love, why he could never care about anyone more than himself. He had known the man for long enough to know that he could barely keep a goldfish alive let alone maintain an intimate relationship.

But as Kwest stirred the deeply dark liquid, clanging the metal spoon against the stained glass, he couldn't help but think that Jude could take care of herself if she were up against Tommy. And now that the inevitable was finally being faced, he wondered if Jude was just as bad for him as he was for her. She was in a position to turn him away, to send him packing with his head between his legs. She held the power to break him so viciously that he could never be repaired. Sure he had run, more than enough times to break a girl's will, but she picked herself up. There were people who wanted to help her, people who wanted to see her happy and vibrant again.

And every time she dusted herself off from the blows that he had blasted at her, an outstanding will grew firmer and an exterior formed that Kwest could only call _jaded_. She was jaded, world-weary and slightly cynical. But still soft, with an edge that made her irresistible to the public and various, faceless boys who thought they could fill the void that was visible for miles.

Running a hand through his hair distractedly he thought of how long it had taken for Jude to recover from Tommy's most recent fall from grace. He had left and taken so much of her with him that everyone could see the pieces missing and if he still looked hard enough, Kwest could still see the irreplaceable pieces leaving their holes behind. He silently wondered if Tommy would be able to see them.

Letting his hand fall against the table with a clattering thud, sending the silverware flying a few inches only to fall again, he sighed heavily. Silently compiling the last year in his mind, Kwest absently wondered if Jude had yet to pick herself up. Maybe she had just been crouching and fooling everyone around her.

.o.O.o.

The December sunshine shone against his sunglasses as the dirtied snow crunched under his feet while he walked inconspicuously down the sidewalk. He found himself in front of the small café that had been the home of his obsessive ritual of _mp3s, Billboard and a dopio espresso_ as he had told Sadie once. He watched Kwest, from one of the outdoor tables, scrolling through his cell with a furrowed brow, mug and saucer in front of him and his feet crossed tightly at his ankles beneath the table.

Closing the distance to the door, he couldn't help but wonder who he was calling. Shaking himself lightly, expelling his thoughts, Tommy smiled to himself before pushing on the door; he was greeted with the soft tinkle of a bell that alerted Kwest.

The two gazes locked from a moment, despite the cover of Tom's glasses, before they broke into grins. Kwest got up from the table, cradling his phone in one hand and clapping Tommy on the back with the other. "Hey T." He greeted lightly as Tommy smiled in response.

Joining him at the table Tommy shifted, waiting for Kwest to ask. He had rehearsed what he was going to tell Jude, all begging and excuses laid out in his head while he had no idea what to tell his best friend. "Wanna tell me where you were man?" Kwest posed lightly as if he had been asking what Tommy decided to name his cat. "Look man, I didn't want to leave. But I needed to. I had to." He started, immediately putting up his defense. "I'm not accusing you of anything. But what could possibly make you up and leave like that, without a goodbye. _And_ telling Jude that you wouldn't be coming back?"

Tommy sighed; he had figured as much that Jude would confide in someone. He silently thanked anyone who was listening that she hadn't gone to Portia. Or Sadie. And without thinking past the need for an ally, he bit the bullet. "I have a daughter man." Tommy ground out, his fingers reaching out to fidget with the tassel at the edge of the tablecloth. Kwest's sputters registered softly in his head but the clanging of the glass of his cup made him look up. Eyes wide with shock and incomprehension, Kwest's jaw sank as coffee spilled from his lips. "Pick up you jaw man." Tommy called lightly, watching as his friend shock his head a few times before placing his palms face down against the table. "Did I hear you right?" "What did you hear?" "That you have a daughter." "You didn't hear wrong."

.o.O.o.

He knocked against the old wood of the door, waiting for Jude to open it. He raised his hand to knock again, a jitter of nerves swirling, untamed, in his stomach. He didn't know why he was feeling apprehensive but a shot of adrenaline pumped through his pounded veins as the door opened.

Her hand still on the doorknob, she gasped deeply, sending chills down his spine and whirl of cold breath into the wintry air. Releasing her grip on the brass knob she paced forward, her small steps rocking his balance as a hand reached out to graze his cheek. "What happened?" She breathed in a whisper. He let out a soft grunt, scoffing at the memory. "You should see the other guy." He told her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

Huddling in his warmth, she raised a brow and cocked her head at the mention of someone else. She didn't really think he had fought a wall or fallen out of a tree, but she expected a lame excuse. "What other guy." "I think you might know him." He told her softly, pushing his lips to hers tenderly. She broke away, her lips motionless, her eyes blazing. "Who is he?" She almost demanded, but stopped her interrogation short as a car door slammed from her driveway. A bluntly blue tint reflecting against the pure snow made a soft gasp hitch in her throat. "Tommy?" She questioned absently as Colin pulled away from her to see.


End file.
